Share of population living in rural areas in Estonia
Estonia: Share of population living in rural areas was 35.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in rural areas in Estonia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Estonia recorded 35.0% for share of population living in rural areas in 2020.
That represents a change of down 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Estonia peaked at 36.7% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 28.2%, in 1980.
Estonia ranks 76th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in rural areas in Estonia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 33.9% | — |
| 1955 | 32.6% | -3.9% |
| 1960 | 31.7% | -2.8% |
| 1965 | 30.5% | -3.8% |
| 1970 | 29.5% | -3.4% |
| 1975 | 28.7% | -2.7% |
| 1980 | 28.2% | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 29.1% | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 31.0% | +6.8% |
| 1995 | 32.5% | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 34.6% | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 36.0% | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 36.7% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 36.4% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 35.0% | -4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 33.3% | 32.6% | 33.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 31.1% | 30.5% | 31.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 29.1% | 28.7% | 29.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 28.6% | 28.2% | 29.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 31.8% | 31.0% | 32.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.3% | 34.6% | 36.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 36.5% | 36.4% | 36.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 35.0% | 35.0% | 35.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
More population data for Estonia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.6697 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.5636 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.6697 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.6551 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3052 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.7% (2100)
- Population density 19.31 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 30,706 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.7% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in rural areas in Estonia?
- Share of population living in rural areas in Estonia was 35.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 36.7% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.2% in 1980.
- How does Estonia rank for share of population living in rural areas?
- Estonia ranks 76th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Estonia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.